The Buckeyes silver helmets with Buckeye leaf stickers sit on the sidelines before the Ohio State-Akron game Sept. 25. Ohio State won 59-7. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day added former Buckeyes defensive back Tim Walton to his coaching staff as a defensive assistant Thursday, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.
Alongside Walton, Day added a pair of new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ former assistants while at Oklahoma State — Michael Hunter and Koy McFarland — in defensive support staff roles, according to FootballScoop’s John Brice. Both Hunter and McFarland appear in the Ohio State staff directory.
Walton spent his first and only season with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the team’s secondary coach in 2021. He also played for Ohio State from 1990-93 as a defensive back, appearing in 43 games and snagging 10 interceptions.
Hunter served as a defensive graduate assistant with the Cowboys. He’s also a former Oklahoma State player, spending the 2015 season as a cornerback following a transfer from Indiana.
McFarland will also follow Hunter and Knowles to Ohio State after working as a defense quality control coach. He played at Arkansas-Monticello as a wide receiver, completing his senior season in 2016.
The trio joins the flurry of coaching moves Ohio State made Thursday, as former Cincinnati defensive backs coach Perry Eliano became the Buckeyes’ safeties coach while ex-defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and linebackers coach Al Washington will depart the program.
